Chapter 87, 19 verses
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم سبح اسم ربك الأعلى
Exalt the name of your Lord, the Most High,
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Glorify the Name of your Lord, the Most High,
الذي خلق فسوى
Who created and proportioned
Who has created (everything), and then proportioned it.
والذي قدر فهدى
And who destined and [then] guided
And Who has measured (preordainments for everything even to be blessed or wretched); and then guided (i.e. showed mankind the right as well as the wrong paths, and guided the animals to pasture).
والذي أخرج المرعى
And who brings out the pasture
And Who brings out the pasturage,
فجعله غثاء أحوى
And [then] makes it black stubble.
And then makes it dark stubble.
سنقرئك فلا تنسى
We will make you recite, [O Muhammad], and you will not forget,
We shall make you to recite (the Qur'an), so you (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) shall not forget (it),
إلا ما شاء الله ۚ إنه يعلم الجهر وما يخفى
Except what Allah should will. Indeed, He knows what is declared and what is hidden.
Except what Allah may will. He knows what is apparent and what is hidden.
ونيسرك لليسرى
And We will ease you toward ease.
And We shall make easy for you (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) the easy way (i.e. the doing of righteous deeds).
فذكر إن نفعت الذكرى
So remind, if the reminder should benefit;
Therefore remind (men) in case the reminder profits (them).
سيذكر من يخشى
He who fears [Allah] will be reminded.
The reminder will be received by him who fears (Allah),
ويتجنبها الأشقى
But the wretched one will avoid it -
But it will be avoided by the wretched,
الذي يصلى النار الكبرى
[He] who will [enter and] burn in the greatest Fire,
Who will enter the great Fire (and will be made to taste its burning).
ثم لا يموت فيها ولا يحيى
Neither dying therein nor living.
There he will neither die (to be in rest) nor live (a good living).
قد أفلح من تزكى
He has certainly succeeded who purifies himself
Indeed whosoever purifies himself (by avoiding polytheism and accepting Islamic Monotheism) shall achieve success,
وذكر اسم ربه فصلى
And mentions the name of his Lord and prays.
And remembers (glorifies) the Name of his Lord (worships none but Allah), and prays (five compulsory prayers and Nawafil - additional prayers).
بل تؤثرون الحياة الدنيا
But you prefer the worldly life,
Nay, you prefer the life of this world,
والآخرة خير وأبقى
While the Hereafter is better and more enduring.
Although the Hereafter is better and more lasting.
إن هذا لفي الصحف الأولى
Indeed, this is in the former scriptures,
Verily, this is in the former Scriptures -
صحف إبراهيم وموسى
The scriptures of Abraham and Moses.
The Scriptures of Ibrahim (Abraham) and Musa (Moses) (عليهما السلام).